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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · pass · bay · jam · rule · band · stem · cabinet

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rule — a law
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rule — government
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pass — a permit
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. pass — to spend time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com